True Detective Season Two Reviews Continue to Roll in, and there’s a Theme

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A couple of things have been made clear today. One, that certain major outlets were given access to the first three episodes of True Detective season two, and two, that the review embargo ends today. Earlier we got a look at Variety’s True Detective review, but now others are joining the fold.

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The Variety review was lukewarm, to say the least. It basically boiled down to “it’s still good, but the magic is gone.” It urged viewers to tamper their expectations, something which perhaps fans should have been doing all along.

The other reviews that we’ve seen so far today are of the same ilk, for the most part. Entertainment Weekly gave the first three episodes a B and stated that expectations were still high, “probably too high for this show.” Ouch.  But still, a B isn’t bad, especially considering that True Detective is set to start from scratch each season.

The Hollywood Reporter review reads much the same way, pointing out scenes that “didn’t feel natural at all,” or “that True Detective is trying so hard here it hurts.” The review, like the three aforementioned ones, reiterates that the pressure in high for the rest of the episodes. And that things may still work out.

The most optimistic and positive review so far comes from Vulture, who states that “We’re in the belly of some rough beast.” The Vulture review spends less time than all the others on season one; it keeps its comparisons to a minimum. Perhaps that’s why they were able to enjoy these episodes more than the others.

The general consensus is that True Detective season two is just not on par with he first. But there’s a lesson to be learned here, at least from the reviews that we’ve caught so far: cut your ties with season one. It’s not an easy thing to do, but it might just be necessary in order to full enjoy what True Detective has to offer now and in the future.

Next: Variety isn't super keen on True Detective's second season.

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